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Replacing sugar with artificial sweetener may help your gut microbiome Fri, 17 Oct 2025 19:10:11 +0100 One of the longest trials of artificial sweeteners to date found that they may increase beneficial gut bacteria, though the boost may also be related to weight loss

We can use ordinary sugar in the search for dark matter Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:59:07 +0100 Physicists have tried so many different ways to find dark matter, but none has been successful. Now an unexpected contender has entered the arena - ordinary table sugar.

We're starting to understand why childhood adversity leaves its mark Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:00:20 +0100 Experiencing severe hardship in childhood can have a lasting impact. Understanding this better could open the door to more effective treatments

Record-breaking chip sidesteps Moore’s law by growing upwards Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:00:15 +0100 A new chip design includes 41 vertical layers of semiconductor and insulator materials, which allow it to outrun the limits of miniaturisation

Why the next generation of mRNA vaccines is set to be even better Wed, 15 Oct 2025 20:00:57 +0100 mRNA vaccines are quick and easy to make, while virus-like nanoparticles produce a stronger immune response. Now, the two approaches are being combined to give us the best of both worlds

A purrfect guide to cats and our complex relationship with them Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Our bond with cats – which has seen them go from hunter to house pet – may be more diverse than with any other animal. And Jerry D. Moore's Cat Tales: A history rounds up the lot, says Bethan Ackerley

The centre of our galaxy may be teeming with dark matter particles Thu, 16 Oct 2025 21:40:20 +0100 A mysterious excess of gamma rays in the middle of the Milky Way may come from dark matter particles smashing into one another and annihilating

There's a simple way we could drastically cut AI energy use Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:00:27 +0100 If users chose the most efficient model each time they performed a task with AI, researchers calculate it would slash energy consumption by more than a quarter

Are biofuels a good idea? Only if you're a farmer or shipping company Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:00:34 +0100 The rush to grow more biofuels continues, despite the fact they increase CO2 emissions rather than lower them, raise food prices and devastate nature. It has to stop, says Michael Le Page

Digital ID cards could be a disaster in the UK and beyond Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The British government isn't the only one looking to introduce digital ID cards. There is so much to worry about here, not least the threat of hacks, says Annalee Newitz

School phone bans may actually harm some students' mental health Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:00:16 +0100 The evidence to support phone bans in schools has been inconclusive, and now it seems that the move could harm some students' mental health in a particular way

Mathematicians have found a hidden 'reset button' for undoing rotation Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:43 +0100 Mathematicians thought that they understood how rotation works, but now a new proof has revealed a surprising twist that makes it possible to reset even a complex sequence of motion

Is it really likely that humans will go extinct in exactly 314 years? Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Feedback isn't entirely convinced by a new piece of research that claims by 2339 "there will be no humans", even though the authors used three methods to make their calculation

New Scientist recommends Sheri S. Tepper's science fiction novel Grass Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

There is a major psychological flaw in how society punishes people Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Our experiments have revealed that we're getting it wrong when it comes to crime and punishment. This is undermining society, say Raihan Alam and Tage Rai

Del Toro's Frankenstein is a sumptuous take on a classic parable Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 With enthralling visuals and intense performances, this version of Mary Shelley's sci-fi tale reminds us to ask not only if we can create life, but if we can live with our creations, says Davide Abbatescianni

Ancient lead exposure may have influenced how our brains evolved Wed, 15 Oct 2025 20:00:12 +0100 Lead poisoning isn't just a modern phenomenon: fossil teeth show signs that it affected ancient hominids, and Homo sapiens may have coped better than our close relatives

Dinosaur fossil rewrites the story of how sauropods got long necks Wed, 15 Oct 2025 17:00:39 +0100 A 230-million-year-old fossil found in Argentina shows that the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs’ long necks began earlier than previously thought

The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality Wed, 15 Oct 2025 17:00:10 +0100 In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real

CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere jumped by a record amount in 2024 Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:25:26 +0100 The global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 parts per million to reach 423.9 ppm last year, fuelling worries that the planet’s ability to soak up excess carbon is weakening

The AI bubble is heading towards a burst but it won't be the end of AI Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:08:49 +0100 Economists, bankers and even the boss of OpenAI are warning of a rapidly inflating AI bubble. If and when it bursts, what will happen to the technological breakthroughs of the past few years?

Paralysed man can feel objects through another person's hand Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:52:59 +0100 Keith Thomas, a man in his 40s with no sensation or movement in his hands, is able to feel and move objects by controlling another person's hand via a brain implant. The technique might one day even allow us to experience another person's body over long distances.

Martian volcanoes may have transported ice to the planet's equator Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:00:47 +0100 The equatorial regions of Mars are home to unexpectedly enormous layers of ice, and they may have been put there by dramatic volcanic eruptions billions of years ago

'Pregnancy test' for skeletons could help reveal ancient mothers Tue, 14 Oct 2025 15:06:12 +0100 Progesterone, oestrogen and testosterone can be detected in skeletons over 1000 years old, offering a way to identify individuals who died while pregnant or soon after giving birth

Mother's voice seems to boost language development in premature babies Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:00:18 +0100 Babies born too soon seem to have stronger connections in one of the major brain areas that supports language processing if they regularly heard their mother read them a story while in intensive care

Chatbots work best when you speak to them with formal language Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:00:38 +0100 Are you terse and informal when speaking to an AI chatbot? If so, you might be getting worse answers than if you used more formal language

A black hole fell into a star – then ate its way out again Mon, 13 Oct 2025 13:00:55 +0100 Stars often fall into black holes, and now it seems the opposite can also occur, producing an extra long-lasting explosion as the star is consumed from within

Serum based on plant extracts boosts hair growth in weeks Fri, 10 Oct 2025 15:00:16 +0100 Applying a daily serum that contains extracts of a tropical plant improved hair density and strand thickness in just 56 days

Coral reefs are at a tipping point after surging global temperatures Mon, 13 Oct 2025 01:01:38 +0100 Record-breaking ocean temperatures have caused widespread bleaching and death among warm-water corals, which could have far-reaching consequences

Learning to play nice with other people Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 How did cooperation emerge in a cut-throat world? There are clues in the prisoner's dilemma experiment, says Peter Rowlett

Blue Planet Red is wrong about Mars – but it's surprisingly poignant Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Brian Cory Dobbs's documentary promotes the baseless idea that Mars was once inhabited by an advanced civilisation. But there's some value in how it inadvertently documents a generation of otherwise-sensible scientists, says Simon Ings

Physicists are uncovering when nature’s strongest force falters Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:50:54 +0100 The strong nuclear force may abruptly loosen its grip on the fundamental particles that make up matter at a special “critical point” – researchers are now getting a clearer picture of when that point is reached

Evolution of intelligence in our ancestors may have come at a cost Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:00:36 +0100 By tracing when variations in the human genome first appeared, researchers have found that advances in cognitive abilities may have led to our vulnerability to mental illness

Therapy may be the most effective way to ease irritable bowel syndrome Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:30:24 +0100 People with irritable bowel syndrome are often only given treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy after others have failed, but research suggests this approach is more effective than we thought

Stunning images highlight fight to save Earth’s rich biodiversity Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:31 +0100 From an alien-looking flat-faced longhorn beetle to an abandoned baby rhino, images at London’s Natural History Museum show what we stand to lose from the decimation of global biodiversity

'Sword Dragon' ichthyosaur had enormous eyes and a lethal snout Fri, 10 Oct 2025 02:00:19 +0100 A beautifully preserved skeleton found on the UK’s Jurassic Coast has been identified as a new species of the marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs

Robotic underwater glider sets out to circumnavigate the globe Fri, 10 Oct 2025 01:30:02 +0100 Redwing, a robotic submarine about the size of a surfboard, is embarking on a five-year journey that will follow the famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage around the world

Hannah Ritchie's new book on net zero is a breath of fresh air Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Clearing the Air answers all your burning questions about the net-zero transition, with optimistic, data-led insights designed to address misinformation about climate change, says Madeleine Cuff

We've discovered another reason why naked mole rats live for so long Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:00:47 +0100 The longevity of naked mole rats may partly be due to them having a variant of a key protein that boosts DNA repair – a discovery that could help extend our own lives

Swirly lasers can control an ungovernable cousin of magnetism Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:00:34 +0100 Short pulses of light that impart rotation on a material's atoms can be used to switch a property called ferroaxiality, which could let us build very stable and efficient memory devices

Hidden ecosystem of the ovaries plays a surprising role in fertility Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:00:24 +0100 A woman's fertility declines with age, which is often attributed to a fall in egg number and quality, but the environment of the ovaries themselves may also be responsible

We are horrified to discover that not every rose has a thorn Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Feedback is shocked to learn that one of our most cherished metaphors involving roses and thorns really needs to be revisited. That's what happens when you invite the botanists to play

Top 250 oil and gas firms own just 1.5% of the world's renewable power Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:00:29 +0100 Despite public promises by many fossil fuel firms that they are investing in the green transition, it turns out that they have made little contribution to the growth of renewable energy

Why not all ultra-processed foods are bad for you Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Just because a food is ultra-processed doesn’t mean it is unhealthy. Regulation and eating advice must reflect this, say Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall, co-authors of Food Intelligence: The science of how food both nourishes and harms us

How pie-in-the-sky conspiracies distract from climate dangers Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The conspiracy theory that bad actors use "chemtrails" from aircraft to poison us sucks energy from legitimate protest against aviation's effects on the climate, says Graham Lawton

Selfish sperm see older fathers pass on more disease-causing mutations Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:12 +0100 Older men are more likely to pass on disease-causing mutations to their children because of the faster growth of mutant cells in the testes with age

King Richard III's oral microbiome hints he had severe gum disease Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:00:59 +0100 The skeleton of King Richard III, which was found beneath a car park more than a decade ago, has well-preserved teeth, allowing scientists to sequence his oral microbiome

The Whispers of Rock is a personal journey through aeons of geology Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 In her new book, earth scientist Anjana Khatwa writes a love letter to Earth's rocks and mountains, offering a passionate blend of science and spirituality

Pig liver transplant into a living person edges it closer to the norm Thu, 09 Oct 2025 06:01:43 +0100 The first ever transplantation of a pig's liver into a living person helps us better understand how animal organs can be used to prolong, or even save, lives

Electrons inside graphene have been pushed to supersonic speeds Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:18:35 +0100 Making electrons flow like a liquid is difficult, but inside graphene researchers forced them to move so fast that they created dramatic shockwaves

Memory chips just 10 atoms thick could vastly increase capacity Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:29 +0100 A memory chip just 10 atoms thick has been tested in a lab and integrated into conventional chips, demonstrating a technology that could improve the capacity of our devices

The moon's largest crater didn't form in the way we thought Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:15 +0100 The impact that carved out the South Pole-Aitken basin on the moon appears to have come from the north, not the south as previously thought – and NASA’s upcoming mission could investigate further

Why everything you thought you knew about your immune system is wrong Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:09 +0100 Immunologist Daniel Davis wants to eradicate long-held myths and replace them with wonder at the complexity of the body’s defence system

Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on molecular architecture Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:58:33 +0100 Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi have been honoured for the development of metal-organic frameworks, porous materials that can capture water or pollutants

There are five types of sleep – here's what that means for your health Tue, 07 Oct 2025 20:00:27 +0100 Scientists have identified five sleep profiles, each of which is linked to distinct mental health symptoms and brain activity patterns

Is the universe really one big black hole? Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:00:57 +0100 According to the equations that govern black holes, the larger one of these cosmic behemoths is the lower its average density – given that the universe contains a lot of relatively empty space, could the whole cosmos be a black hole?

One of Earth’s most vital carbon sinks is faltering. Can we save it? Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:00:11 +0100 For decades, forest, grasslands and other land ecosystems have collectively absorbed up to a third of the carbon dioxide we emit each year - but this climate buffer may be collapsing far sooner than anyone expected

Biodegradable plastic made from bamboo is strong and easy to recycle Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:00:01 +0100 Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, and its cellulose fibres can be turned into a hard, mouldable plastic for use in cars and appliances

Nobel prize for physics goes to trio behind quantum computing chips Tue, 07 Oct 2025 11:58:15 +0100 The 2025 Nobel prize in physics has gone to John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis, whose work has led to the development of today's quantum computers

Galaxies fling out matter much more violently than we thought Mon, 06 Oct 2025 20:44:38 +0100 An analysis of the afterglow of the big bang sheds light on how black holes distribute mass in the universe, and why some matter previously seemed to have been missing

General relativity might save some planets from death Mon, 06 Oct 2025 18:00:29 +0100 Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity

What’s my Alzheimer’s risk, and can I really do anything to change it? Mon, 06 Oct 2025 17:00:12 +0100 Can you escape your genetic inheritance, and do lifestyle changes actually make a difference? Daniel Cossins set out to understand what the evidence on Alzheimer’s really means for him

Nobel prize for medicine goes to trio for work on immune tolerance Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:42:21 +0100 The 2025 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has gone to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries around how we keep our immune system under control

Shackleton knew his doomed ship wasn’t the strongest before sailing Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:00:13 +0100 Endurance, the wooden ship that Ernest Shackleton took to Antarctica in 1915, wasn't built to withstand frozen seas – and the famous explorer knew it

Would a ban on genetic engineering of wildlife hamper conservation? Mon, 06 Oct 2025 09:00:14 +0100 Some conservation groups are calling for an effective ban on genetic modification, but others say these technologies are crucial for preserving biodiversity

Prepare to enjoy four spectacular supermoons in a row Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 If you are a fan of the moon, then the next four months will give you something special to watch out for, says Abigail Beall

New Scientist recommends Chris Hadfield's Final Orbit Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

Do black holes exist and, if not, what have we really been looking at? Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:00:19 +0100 Black holes are so strange that physicists have long wondered if they are quite what they seem. Now we are set to find out if they are instead gravastars, fuzzballs or something else entirely

The exceptionally tasty new fermented foods being cooked up in the lab Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:00:00 +0100 Fermented foods make up a third of what we eat and were mostly discovered by accident centuries ago. Now a fermentation revolution is promising extraordinary new flavours and novel ways to boost gut health

Your happiness in life may not be U-shaped - here's how it could vary Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:54:51 +0100 We thought happiness peaked at the beginning and end of life, but a study from Germany suggests a more pessimistic outlook for our later years

There is an odd streak in the universe – and we still don’t know why Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:00:27 +0100 Astronomers have long thought the universe should look generally the same in every direction, but an anomaly in the radiation from the big bang persists even after a new analysis from radio telescopes

Exceptional star is the most pristine object known in the universe Fri, 03 Oct 2025 16:00:12 +0100 A star found in the Large Magellanic Cloud is remarkably unpolluted by heavier elements, suggesting it is descended from the universe’s earliest stars

20 bird species can understand each other’s anti-cuckoo call Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:00:45 +0100 Several species of birds from different continents use and understand similar alarm calls when they see an invader that might lay an egg in their nest – this shared call hints at the origin of language

Kids as young as 4 innately use sorting algorithms to solve problems Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:00:11 +0100 It was previously thought that children younger than 7 couldn't find efficient solutions to complex problems, but new research suggests that much earlier, children can happen upon known sorting algorithms used by computer scientists

Why Our Brains, Our Selves won the Royal Society science book prize Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:38 +0100 Sandra Knapp, chair of the judging panel for the 2025 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, explains why neurologist Masud Husain’s collection of case studies is such an enlightening, compassionate book

Read an extract from Our Brains, Our Selves by Masud Husain Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:36 +0100 In this passage from Our Brains, Our Selves, winner of the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, neuroscientist Masud Husain recounts how novelist Marcel Proust became convinced, wrongly, that he'd had a stroke

Our verdict on ‘The Dispossessed’: A tricky but rewarding novel Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:32 +0100 The New Scientist Book Club has just finished reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed. Most of our members enjoyed it, even if the sheer volume of ideas in the book made it a challenging read

Disturbing Netflix mystery explores a world out to 'solve' adolescence Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Set at a strange academy in small-town Vermont, Netflix’s Wayward aims to pacify unruly teens by master manipulation. Bethan Ackerley finds a creepy, troubled world

Autism may have subtypes that are genetically distinct from each other Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:00:53 +0100 Autism may exist in multiple forms, with the condition's genetics and signs differing according to the age at diagnosis

Endearing photos of bats show clever adaptations like long tongues Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 In his book The Genius Bat, ecologist Yossi Yovel explains why these mammals are a vital part of ecosystems, pollinating plants and keeping insect populations in check

Exploring PMS is a great idea, but The Period Brain can be simplistic Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Premenstrual syndrome and its symptoms is neglected by science, so Sarah Hill's new book is welcome. But it needs more on genetics, not just lifestyle changes, says Alexandra Thompson

Should we worry AI will create deadly bioweapons? Not yet, but one day Thu, 02 Oct 2025 20:00:38 +0100 AI tools are being used to design proteins and even viruses, leading to fears these could eventually be used to evade bioweapon controls

Antarctica may have crossed a tipping point that leads to rising seas Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:00:44 +0100 Scientists are beginning to understand the sudden loss of sea ice in Antarctica – and there is growing evidence that it represents a permanent shift with potentially catastrophic consequences

Why 'beauty factories' could solve two massive cosmological mysteries Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Facilities that make particles called B mesons may seem obscure, but they could help explain why there is more matter than antimatter and what dark matter is, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Rogue planet gains 6 billion tonnes per second in record growth spurt Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:00:51 +0100 A free-floating planet has been seen devouring astonishing amounts of matter, hinting that stars and planets are more alike than we thought

How Jane Goodall changed the way we see animals – and the world Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:02:18 +0100 Jane Goodall, who chronicled the social lives of chimps, has died, but she leaves a lasting legacy on how we view the natural world

How playing a musical instrument helps children learn to read Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:00:57 +0100 Learning to play an instrument has long been linked to improved reading skills among children, and we may finally understand why

What might the humble house mouse be trying to tell us? Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Feedback is amazed to find that the audible vocalisations of the house mouse is all but unstudied in favour of the ultrasonic sounds humans can’t hear. SQUEAK!

Why abandoning psychedelic research in the 1970s was a blow to science Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Work on medical uses of mind-altering substances was sidelined for decades by the political backlash against drugs, a misstep that has echoes in today’s intolerance of some fields of study

Jane Goodall, dogged advocate for the natural world, has died aged 91 Wed, 01 Oct 2025 21:30:19 +0100 Acclaimed conservationist and chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall has died, leaving behind a legacy of empathy for primates and the natural world

Evolution may explain why women live longer than men Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:00:28 +0100 In most mammals, females live longer than males, but in birds the trend goes the other way – a study of over 1000 species points to possible reasons for these differences

The mystery of highly reactive oxygen has finally been solved Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:00:42 +0100 Singlet oxygen can be damaging in both cells and batteries but it has taken almost 60 years to work out exactly when it shows up in chemical reactions within both

'We're precipitating an extermination rather than an extinction event' Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:00:33 +0100 Broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham is on a mission to cut overconsumption, take on fossil fuel giants and create a fairer world

NASA's asteroid deflection test had unexpected and puzzling outcome Wed, 01 Oct 2025 16:00:43 +0100 The DART mission achieved its goal of changing one asteroid’s orbit around another, but questions remain about why the orbit continued to alter over the following month

How brain organoids are revealing what truly makes humans unique Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:00:55 +0100 Madeline Lancaster created the first brain organoids, which have revolutionised our understanding of how the brain works - but also raised ethical questions

The best new science fiction books of October 2025 Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:00:55 +0100 Science fiction legend Ursula K. Le Guin is honoured with a new collection out this month, and sci-fi fans can also look forward to fiction from astronaut Chris Hadfield and award-winning authors Ken Liu and Mary Robinette Kowal

The most important mathematician you’ve (probably) never heard of Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:24:37 +0100 Alexander Grothendieck was a titan in his field, making deep connections that fuelled a revolution in mathematics, before giving it all up and disappearing. Jacob Aron explores what his work meant

We now know why a belly button becomes an 'innie' Tue, 30 Sep 2025 21:27:38 +0100 Scientists have discovered a new abdominal structure called the umbilical sheath, which anchors the remnant of the umbilical cord to deep abdominal tissues and helps determine the shape of your navel

Egg cells made with DNA from human skin fertilised in the lab Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:05:44 +0100 An innovative use of skin cells could provide a route for same-sex couples or women with fertility problems to have children that both partners are genetically related to

'Funny' videos of stressed and frightened pets are no laughing matter Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:54:42 +0100 Social media is awash with videos of cats and dogs getting startled or hurt for our entertainment. We should all be more alert to poor animal welfare, says Christa Lesté-Lasserre